M1 Pacific Motorway extension

What it is

An extension of the M1 Pacific Motorway from Black Hill to Raymond Terrace, in two sections: a 10 km southern section (Black Hill to Tomago) and the 5 km northern Heatherbrae Bypass, which includes the Raymond Terrace interchange, the Masonite Road overpass and a bridge over Windeyers Creek. With the companion Hexham Straight widening it is jointly funded at $2.24 billion: $1.792 billion federal, $448 million NSW. The existing road carries nearly 25,000 vehicles on a normal day, more in school holidays.

Entries

• 8 Apr 2026The Heatherbrae Bypass is complete, and governments announce the whole motorway will open in late 2026, more than a year ahead of the previous 2028 date, once the southern section finishes “later this year”. Our story.
• Until 2028Post-opening, contractors remain on site for monitoring, landscaping and maintenance: up to two years on the southern section and one year on the northern.
• Pre-2026Project approved and under construction with a stated completion expectation of 2028 (referenced in the April 2026 announcement as the superseded date).

What we don’t know yet

The exact opening date beyond “late 2026”, and verified travel-time savings. A savings figure circulates in secondary reporting, but we could not pin it to a primary source, so it is not recorded here. This page updates when Transport for NSW or the ministers publish specifics.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Tell us.